POV: Now is the time to talk about driving

The author is senior advisor for policy, research, and education at SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at Susquehanna University.

With the holidays rapidly approaching, many teenagers will be behind the wheel visiting family and friends … and often copying the driving behavior of their parents. But, is that a good thing? Not necessarily.

New research from SADD and Liberty Mutual Insurance reveals an alarming example of do what I say, not what I do when it comes to distracted and dangerous driving. For example, 66 percent of teens believe their parents follow different rules behind the wheel than they set for their children, with approximately 90 percent of teens reporting that their parents speed and talk on a cell phone while driving.

Parent Driving Behavior

Specifically, the survey found teens observe their parents exhibiting the following driving behavior at least occasionally: